AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Every time I stepped foot inside this monstrosity of a home, I prayed it was the day my father expressed his love for me and apologized for not being in my life like he should have been. I prayed it was the day he validated me and spoke life into me. I prayed it was the day he took my intelligence and career just as seriously as he did my brother. And every time I stepped foot inside, I was disappointed.
Darron held my hand as I walked toward the front door. I held my breath as I rang the doorbell and plastered on a smile when Pamela, the housekeeper, opened the door. She greeted us with a warm smile and led us toward the dining room, where Daddy, Mina, and Jeremy were already seated. I spoke to them all and gave Daddy a hug before introducing them to Darron. Daddy sized him up silently for quite some time before motioning with his hand for us to have a seat.
With Daddy and Mina at the heads of the table, Darron and I sat next to each other, across from Jeremy. He was staring at me with his usual smug grin, and I was sure he found this whole thing amusing. When it came to the women he dated, heneverhad to get Daddy’s approval. I, on the other hand, had been given the warning if he didn’t like the man I chose to marry, he wouldn’t be at the wedding or in my life beyond that day.
As Harriet, their personal chef, began to place dishes of food on the table, Daddy immediately began his interrogation.
“Amelia tells me you’re one of the best attorneys for mergers and acquisitions,” he said.
“He should be, for as long as he’s been alive doing it,” Jeremy replied.
I wished I could have kicked him under the table, but he was too far away from me.
“Jeremy, behave,” Mina said as Darron gave a confident smile.
“I assume that’s the elephant in the room. The age difference between Amelia and I.”
“It is a concern,” Daddy replied.
“And why is that?”
One thing I could say about Darron was that he always maintained his cool and confidence. That’s why I was so thrown off by him questioning me about Amaru earlier.
“What could you possibly want from my daughter outside of her pussy and good looks?”
I think Mina was just as surprised by my father’s question as I was because she choked on the water she was drinking.
“Daddy!” I yelled, slamming my fist on the table. We hadn’t even started fixing our plates yet and he was already showing his ass!
“It’s okay,” Darron assured me, taking my hand into his under the table.
While Mina coughed, she looked from me to Daddy. For the first time, there was sympathy in her eyes. She’d never been nurturing toward me, or even talkative… always detached and guarded. I could get that to a certain extent. I was the physical representation of her husband’s affair. Though he swore they were free to see other people because they were separated, to Mina, he had cheated.
“I’m going to assume your father’s crass questioning comes from a place of love and concern. He wants to know what I see in you, and I can respect that.” Darron gave my father his attention as he continued. “I think your daughter was first attracted to me because of you. She needed guidance and mentorship that should have come from you or your son, and since she couldn’t get that, she came to me.” I squeezed his hand because he was right. “When she realized what she needed on a professional level, we opened ourselves up for something personal. Regardless of the age difference, I’ve fallen in love with your daughter’s mind, personality, and yes, even her beauty.”
My heart thumped rapidly against my chest. This was the first time Darron had ever mentioned love. Was he being sincere, or was he putting on a show for my father?
“I know it’s important to Milli that the man she marries has your approval, and I hope that will be me. If not, I’m still going to marry her and make sure she never feels the effects of your absence in her life should you decide to leave.”
My eyes blinked rapidly as I fought my tears. Twisting my mouth to the side, I looked over at my brother and swallowed hard. He gave me a nod of approval with a small smile, which I wasn’t expecting.
Darron and Daddy stared at each other until Daddy cut through the tension by asking Darron, “You into sports?”
As if the previous conversation hadn’t happened, we all began to pile food onto our plates. Conversations shifted from sports to music, religion, and politics. By the time we were ready to have dessert, Daddy was gushing over how Jeremy had gotten one of his clients off Friday for murder. Because two women had confessed to the same crime—killing the man who had abused them—neither of them could be tried. A win was a win to Jeremy, but I would have preferred to truly prove my client’s innocence. Either way, a violently abusive man had been stopped permanently and two of his victims were able to now live in peace.
After dessert, Daddy surprised me by offering Darron a cigar and two knuckles of his favorite cognac. While they continued their quality time, I went into the living room to call and check on Mama and Alisia. I felt someone walking behind me, and I was surprised when Jeremy came and stood next to me at the large floor-to-ceiling window.
“You did good with him, Milli.”
Something about his approval made my heart squeeze. I knew Darron was a good man. Even with our small issues, he was a damn good catch. Mama told me with a man, you’d have to settle for something to deal with. If what I had to deal with was long sex without my walls pulsing as I came, I would just have to invest in a lifetime supply of batteries for my vibrator and deal with it.
“I think so too.”
“You know what’s crazy?” I turned slightly to face him. “All this time, I thought you’d end up with Mecca or Amaru.”
“Those are my two best friends.”
“I know you’ve always said that but still. I expected something more to happen with one of them, especially Amaru.”
